Battery chargers for mobile communication devices often have a fixed wall plug that is integral with a charging unit, or a cable leading from a charging unit and terminating in a fixed wall plug. The cable may be permanently attached to the charging unit or may be a separate cable that is plugged into the charging unit.
One prior art charging unit 10, shown in FIGS. 1-3, is designed for use with different styles of electrical outlets so that a single charging unit 10 may be used in a number of different countries. Examples of different styles of electrical outlets include North American and European, among other known styles. In this unit, wall plug elements 12 are detachably and interchangeably installed on the charging unit 10 by a latch mechanism 14. The plug element 12 may be released from the charging unit 10 by pressing a release button 16. Electrical contacts on the back of the plug element 12 (not shown) engage corresponding electrical contacts 18 in the body of the charger 10.
The charger 10 is designed to plug directly into an electrical outlet 20. Different plug elements 12 may be utilized with the charging unit 10 by removing and replacing the plug element 12 with another. For example, a standard two-blade North American plug can be removed and replaced with a European plug having two cylindrical prongs. The circuitry within the charging unit 10 senses the voltage and frequency differences from country to country, and adjusts automatically. Such a charger 10 allows the manufacturer to sell the unit in a variety of countries by packaging the unit 10 with a different plug element 12 for each country. Alternatively, a kit that includes different plug elements 12 may be sold with the unit 10 so that the user may use the unit 10 in different countries. An output assembly 22, such as a USB connector 24 and cord 26 may be coupled to the charging unit 10 for charging an electronic device or battery at a location remote from the charging unit 10.